Ian Poulter takes to Twitter to get a fan in trouble with employer. Again

By Joel Beall

Earlier this year we relayed a peculiar tale involving Ian Poulter and a fan. At the Valspar Championship, a man named JJ Downum jeered Poulter, taking to Twitter to brag about psyching out the Ryder Cup star. Poulter took notice and informed Downum's employer, leading to his dismissal.

It appears, following another bout of social media criticism, Poulter again has reached out to a company to complain about an employee's actions.

Last week in a Hong Kong tournament, Poulter was caught disparaging a camera man after making a quadruple bogey. The video went viral, and grabbed the attention of Glenn Stacey. A driver at Reliable Carriers, Stacey shared his run-in with Poulter years back, one that painted Poulter in an unflattering light.

"“This guy is a true d***,” Stacey wrote, according to Poulter’s follow-up Twitter and Instagram posts. “On and off the course. I had a problem with his arrogance a few years ago.”

Similar to the incident in March, Poulter publicly shamed Stacey and Reliable Carriers, promising never to use the company's service again.​

This, along with follow-up pronouncements from Poulter, forced Reliable Carriers' COO to respond.

In one sense, Poulter has the right to defend himself, especially if he feels he's been slandered. Conversely, if Poulter's behavior matched Stacey's account, using a large platform to bully -- or worse, ruin someone's career -- for calling out your poor conduct is reprehensible.

Whatever the case, let's hope this doesn't lead to Stacey's termination.